Partial support is requested to host third Conference on the Molecular Biology of Hearing and Deafness, to be held in Bethesda, MD on October 1998. The Specific aims of this conference are to review recent progress in molecular biology research related to hearing and deafness, to promote integration of molecular biology methods with other techniques in auditory research, to facilitate interaction and collaboration between different laboratories engaged in molecular biological studies in the auditory system, and to foster collaboration between basic scientists and clinicians with related interests in the molecular biology of deafness. Recent developments in molecular biology will be reviewed by experts who work in the auditory and in other systems. In order to make the conference more accessible to individuals without molecular biology experience, a tutorial on molecular biology, genetics and molecular genetics will be offered on the evening prior to meeting. Free papers will be solicited and abstracts reviewed for inclusion in the conference.